Cleaning a soiled load of objects in automatic cleaning appliances and other appliances generally involves the use of chemical energy (such as detergent), mechanical energy (such as through agitation of the object load in a wash liquor or the manner of dispensing the wash liquor against the object load, such as by spraying) and/or thermal energy (such as through an elevated temperature of the wash liquor). Different combinations of these energy inputs provide various levels of soil removal from the load. Depending on the type of objects in the load, there may be attendant damage, such as when the load comprises fabric, resulting in the generation of lint or the fading of various colors of the fabric, etc. Other types of objects could be subject to chemical etching or other types of damage.
Numerous types of chemical wash additives are known, such as detergents which include surfactants and emulsifiers, as well as enzymes, all used to dissolve, loosen and/or remove various soils and stains. Additional chemical additives in the form of bleaches, such as chlorine-based bleaches have been used to effect soil removal, particularly on white fabrics, since such bleaches are effective to remove colors from fabrics as well. With a fashion trend changing from white fabrics to vibrant colors, the use of chlorine-based bleaches has become problematic.
There has been a development of color-safe bleaches, such as oxygen-based bleaches, also referred to as oxidizing agents. One such oxygen bleach that has been receiving consideration is hydrogen peroxide.
Typically the detergents and chemical wash additives are required to be dispensed by the user into the cleaning appliance either with each load of objects to be cleaned, or at least on a periodic basis, such as through the use of a refillable chemical storage container associated with the cleaning appliance. The addition of these various chemistries requires that the user maintain a supply of the chemistries on hand in order to be able to perform the desired cleaning functions as needed. Also, the manual addition of these chemistries requires careful dispensing in order to avoid spillage and waste of the chemistries and damage to the fabrics.
It would be an improvement in the art if an arrangement were provided for generating some or all of the desired chemistries directly at or in association with the cleaning appliance in order to avoid the drawbacks mentioned above.